Extensible air-tight end for land and water vehicle bodies.



A. lsjcook & T. VAN TUYL.

EXTENSIBLE AIR TIGHT END FOR LAND AND WATER VEHICLE BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED 050.20. 1913.

1,237, 1 74. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

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v A. E. COOK & T. VAN TUYL. EXTENSIBLE AIR TIGHT END FOR LAND AND WATER VEHICLE BODIES- 1,237,174. APPLICATION FILED DEC-'20, 191-3. Patented Aug. 14,

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I u o ,nerand outer airand water-tight interlorly -Specificationbftetteis l atent.

OFFICE:-

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tA pjlicatlon filed December 20, 1913. 1 Serial No. 807,844.

, To all whom it may mam Be a known that w xmm E. Coon and Tnorins VAN .TUYL, citizens of the United States, and residents of the cit of Kanka- ,.1 kee, county of Kankakee, and tate of Illinoisfhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extensible Air-Tight Ends for Land and, Water Vehicle Bodies; and we do hereby declare thatgthe following is a tull, clear and exactz jidescription of the same, reference being had 'to the accompany-1 ing drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked 'thereon,:which form a part of this specification.

The present application for patent consti-.

tutes a continuation in part of our co-pendined.

land and water vehicles or craft, filed Ocing application for patent for com v tober 31st, 1910, Serial No. 589,888.

This invention relates to a means for not only increasing the buoyancy, but also the stability, of a land and water vehlcle, when the same is used on the water. Of course,

it would be undesirable to construct a vehi-' cle which, when in use on land, would be cumbersome to handle, owing to the length of the body. where" such abody is at all times of the samedimension 'and is sufliciently large to float the vehicle uponthe water.

Accordingly, it is an ob ect of our mven- 8 tion to construct an extensible body, in particular the front end; of a land and. water craft by which, when the device is in use upon the land, the body may be considerably shortenedv and, when in use upon the water, Ina be increased in 1e stability and buoyancy t ereof. p

- It is also an object of our invention to construct anextensible en d built up of inbraced walls.

' It is also an object of our invention to water vehicles whereby the interfitting parts are of. tapered construction to detachably interfit one another in sealing relation.

,orfretracted v reinforcing means.

It is alsoan object ofthis invention to provide a] water-tight extensibleend for; landv and;water.,,veh1clcs, whereby a section is held rigidly 'inpo'sition either in extended i i po d f sheetof metal 10,'insertedtherebetween and v position,v by

h to increase the none of the, aforesaid :driving It is'furthermore. an object of this invention to construct a water-tight extensible end for land and'water vehicles consistingv of a chamber having convergentinner walls and with a removable tapered, water-tight hollow member adapted to be inserted with-Q in said chamberwith either end-of said hol--' low member rojecting therefrom, in onecase greatly Increasing the length of the body of the vehicle, and in the other case said hollow member fitting almost entirely within said chamber, greatly reducing the length of said body.

It is finally an object of this invention to construct an extensible water-tight body simple in operation and durable in construc- 121011. r

The invention -(in a preferred form) is illustrated in the. drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

I In the drawings:

' Figure 1 is acentral longitudinal vertical section taken through a land and water vehicle equipped with a bodyhaving an extensible end embodying the principles of our invention. 1

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical. central section taken through the extensible end, and

showing the same unextended.

' Fig. 3 is a similar view with. the end extended.

As shown in the drawings:

The vehicle comprises a main body portion ,1, supported upon wheels 2, and also equipped with a'propeller 3. A- power plant 4, is mounted centrally of the device near the lower wall or floor thereof to insure a lower center of gravity and driving connections, denoted as a whole by the reference vnumerals 5, and 6, drive respectively the front and rear. wheels of the vehicle;

Similarly a propeller shaft 7, connects the propeller 3, with driving mechanism connected'to-the power-plant, but inasmuch as connections form apart of this invention the details 3 f of description thereof arenot entered into. 7 As clearly shown in Figs. 2and 3, the

fi'ont end of the ma-in' body portion .1, of

the vehicle, is slightly "coni cal, and consists 8,fand anflouter wall 9,

of an inner, wall which are joined together by a corrugated ment, the walls of which are denoted by the reference numeral 14. Of course, it is not essential that said interior compartment be formed by turning the outer wall 9, inwardly in the manner described, as obviously the same endmay be attained by connecting sheets of metal together suitably shaped to efiect the desired purpose. A relatively large bolt 15, threaded at its outer end, is rigidly secured in said bulkheads 11, and 12, and projects axially through said conical compartment to a point slightly beyond the end or inwardly turned walls 13, of the body.

A water-tight double conical drum having a pair of interior bulkheads 16, and 17, respectively is provided. The walls 18, on

one side of said bulkheads converge toward one end of the drum and walls 19, integral with the walls 18, converge toward the other end of said drum, said walls 1.8, being turned inwardly to form the end 20, with a thread-- ed aperture therein, and said walls 19, similarly turned inwardly to form the end 21, with a threaded aperture therein. A plug 22, is provided, which is adapted to be threaded into either of the apertured ends 20, or 21.

Extending between the bulkheads 16, and 17, is a reinforcing filler member 23, and extending therethrough and through said bulkhead is an interiorly threaded bushing 24, adapted to receive the threaded end of the bolt 15, therethrough from either side.

The operation is as follows:

When the body of the vehicle is. unextended, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the conical walls 19, of the water-tight drum are directed inwardly in wedging and water-tight engagement with the conical walls 14. The bolt 15, extends through the aperture in the end wall 21, and is threaded into the bushing 24, secured in the bulkhead of said drum. In this case the threaded plug 22, is engaged in the internally threaded aperture in the end wall 20, in order to prevent the admis- -water-tight drum is unthreaded from said sion of Water to the interior of the drum.

When it is desired to extend the vehicle end, as when embarking upon Cwater, the

bolt 15, and entirely withdrawn therefrom, and after removing the plug 22, said drum is inverted with the short tapered end 18,

projecting into the conical chamber within the main body of'the vehicle and the drum is again threaded on said bolt 15. The plug 22, is then inserted in the aperture in the end 21, to close the same and prevent adm1ssion of Water thereto. It is obvious that, owing to the threaded connection between the removable water-tight member and the main body of the vehicle, a very tight fit is obtained between the respective convergent walls of the different parts.

We are aware that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and we therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise-than necessitated by the prior art.

We claim as our invention: 1

1. In a vehicle body of the class described a removable water-tight drum, apertures in each end thereof, a bolt secured on the vehicle body adapted to extend through one of said apertures of said remo able member, and a threaded bushing contained within said. removable water-tight member to en gage the end of said bolt and retain said drum in water-tight relation with said vehicle body.

2. In a land and water vehicle body, an extensible end therefor comprising a removable water-tight section adapted to be contained within a recess in the body of the vehicle, a bolt rigidly mounted inthe body of the vehicle adapted to engage said removable section to retain the same in position, and the walls of said removable member shaped to permit insertion of either end of said. section within the recess in the main body of the vehicle to fit in sealing relation there- I with and permit lengthening and shorten-' ing of the body as a whole.

3. In a device of the class described means for extending the length of a water-tight body comprising a main body having a conical recess therein, an axial bolt secured in said main body and projecting through said conical recess, a water-tight member apertured at each end to permit insertion thereof tight interfitting members, one thereof adapted to interfit the other at either of its ends, the walls thereof being convergent in opposite directions for the purpose, means within one of said members to positively engage the other, and means for closing an,

aperture in one end of said doubly convergent walled member.

5. In a water-tight vehicle of the class de- 3 7. In a land and water vehicle'of theclass scribed, a buoyant body, and reversible means adapted to 'iriterfit the same to vary the length of said body for further buoyancy and stability. f I

I 6. In a land and water. vehicle of the class described a water-tight body, means at each end thereof for increasing the length of said body, one of said means comprising a doubly convergent drum adapted to be sealingly inserted either end first into one end of said- -body, and means for holding-the same socured ineither'of said positions with respect to the body."

forming a part thereof-at each end of. said body forelongating the same to increase the buoyancy and stability of thebody for use on water, said means at one end of the body capable of detachment therefrom and shaped to be reversely fitted thereto.

8. In a land and Water vehicle of the class described a water-tight body, and means norT- mallycarried sealingly within one end of said body. adapted to'be detachedtherefrom and reversely associated with said body to increase the length thereof for further buoyancy and stability for use upon Water.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our-names in the presence of two subscribing vwitnesses.

' ALBERT E. COOK. .THOMAS VAN ,TUYL. Witnesses:

CHARLES HILLS, Jr., F ANK. K.. HUDSON. 

